The Bulldog

Rescuers work to save injured on Amtrak near Philly

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At least 50 people were hurt after an Amtrak train derailed in the Frankford section of Philadelphia Tuesday night, according to officials. Officials say eight to ten cars derailed on the 2000 block of Wheatsheaf Lane. At least 50 people were injured though officials have not yet revealed their conditions. Officials say approximately 240 people in all were on board. The train was coming from New York and heading to Washington, DC, according to officials. In a video posted on Instagram, passengers are heard telling other victims to crawl forward. Twitter Philadelphia

Mayor John Tory makes his earnest case for the hybrid

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Mayor Tory took an hour today to earnestly petition taxpayers to support him in what planners call the hybrid solution to the Gardiner Expressway. There are bits of that which may still elude even careful listeners but there is much that is clear. The Gardiner would still be connected to the DVP (phew) and there would still be a route to the east. At whatever point, there would be some expensive fiddling with the road to make the land under the Gardiner more pleasant for commercial activity. The seemingly tireless Don Peat of the Toronto Sun, has provided some long quotes which may make  things clearer for you. It was classic John Tory. Courtly, eloquent and looking-you-in-the-eye with, we trust, all the cards on the table. Toronto Sun

Peel, Durham and Sudbury boards bite back at OSSTF

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Janet McDougald

Three school boards are taking the OSSTF to the Ontario Labour Relations Board claiming that the high school teachers are on strike illegally. The three, Peel, Durham, and Rainbow District (Sudbury) are all facing such strikes. But Janet McDougald, Chairman of the Peel board, says it’s a fraud. The teachers have walked out on local talks over issues that must be negotiated at the so-called central table with the province. As such, the OSSTF is using the strikes as a  bludgeon (our word) on the government. That’s illegal, says McDougald. It will be interesting to see what the Labor Relations Board has to say. There is no date set for that.

The hunt is on for foul-mouthed fans who harass women

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Hydro One has fired an employee for harassing a woman television reporter during what appears to have been a group-attempt to introduce obscene language into homes and bars where FC games were being broadcast. “Hydro One is taking steps to terminate the employee for violating our Code of Conduct,” Hydro One spokesman Daffyd Roderick said in a statement. The Globe and Mail story linked here recounts how the man fairly wallowed in his ignorance. Good reading. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has also pledged Tuesday (May 12, 2015) to find and punish similarly minded-persons by keeping them out of the arena. This abusive conduct is a variation on growing public vulgarity or maybe just the growing ease with which it is distributed. YouTube is notorious for permitting any type of comment. The arrival of Twitter has also introduced vulgar, profane, racist and hateful language into the lives of people who would not normally be so subjected. The celebrated case of Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lepui revealed how users of public media like Twitter have no idea that they are subject to prosecution for libel. It was a perfect case of the uneducated (or stupid) barging into the regulated halls of public communication. It may be that many of those who are F-bombing TV reporters think that there is no legal consequence. Not everybody is smart. Below reporter Shauna Hunt of City News confronts the jackasses but they are well protected by their macho armour. Globe and Mail 

Beloved LHS math teacher died coaching softball club

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Friends, colleagues and former students of David Stickney were shocked today to learn of his death while watching a softball game of a girl’s team that he helped coached. The circumstances were conveyed on Facebook by a long-time friend Nicholas Mitchell. “Our hearts are with Janet, Irene and Eric,” he wrote. Staff and former students at Leaside High School responded on Twitter and elsewhere to the loss of the well-regarded teacher. One wrote that David Stickney was a true friend who really cared about his students Peter Goulimis was among many tweeting at #Leaside. He called Mr. Stickney a man “who gave and never took” adding,”RIP Stick.”

Free the Food Trucks: Mayor to learn short order drill

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Mayor Tory and councillors will celebrate Food Truck Freedom Day tomorrow (Wednesday, May 13, 2015) It is an occasion intended to mark a liberating bylaw for food trucks. The full meaning of this may be vague but what the heck. Mr. Tory and councillors will get behind the counter of trucks parked on Nathan Phillips Square between 11 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. take orders and serve some of Toronto’s finest food on wheels. The event comes on the heels of a new street food vending bylaw changes that allow for more choice and convenience. Food trucks and carts participating in the event include Caplansky’s, Curbalicious, Fidel Gastro’s, Marianne’s Food Cart, ME.NU, Rome’n Chariotand Randy’s Roti.

Unaware she was pregnant, she has baby on Canadian jet

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A 23-year-old woman who did not know she was pregnant (it is said) has given birth on an Air Canada flight from Calgfary to Tokyo. The woman, Ada Guan, was shocked to find what was happening to her. “We just thought she had a bad stomach ache, or cramps or ulcer or something,” said Wes Branch, her boyfriend and now father of a healthy baby girl. He is from Victoria, B.C. “Her belly wasn’t even big. She just thought she was gaining a little bit of a weight. She didn’t think anything out of it.”